


A Pool of Troublesome Feelings

by Ivillpunchyouinthethroat



Series: Three Oblivious Dorks [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Eventual M/M/M, Eventual Marinka, Humor, Jealous Makoto, Kisumi is a complete shit, Light Angst, M/M, Makoto is an oblivious lovesick idiot, Marinka - Freeform, Mother Hen Sousuke, Nagisa is a Little Shit, Other, Pining, Rin and Haru are lovesick idiots, Romance, Starts Rinharu, jealous Haru, rinharu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-10
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-04-13 23:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4540731
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ivillpunchyouinthethroat/pseuds/Ivillpunchyouinthethroat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Makoto knew he had his work cut out for him, what with the way Haru seemed like he was trying to catch Rin’s head on fire with his stares and the way Rin was obliviously distraught as to why he was the target of Haru’s suddenly developed laser vision. </p><p>  <em>I’ve got to do something about these two idiots,</em> he thinks with a soft smile, all while pushing away the vague sinking feelings in his chest, doing his best to completely ignore what those emotions meant for him.</p><p>He had work to do, and troublesome feelings aside, he had two swim obsessed dorks to get together.</p><p>(Or, the one where Makoto tries his luck as a behind the scenes love doctor)<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Of Laser Stares and Mental Pools

Makoto doesn’t know when it happened—well no, scratch that—he knows exactly when it happened, or at least when it technically _started_ happening. Around the time when Rin swam in their impromptu relay team and then all but glomped on Haru at the end of said relay, only to have Haru do nothing but widen his eyes and give a _slight_ smile.  Which really in Haru speak was about the equivalent of Haru jumping up and down and doing the Macarena out of joy.

Not to say that he himself hadn’t also been almost moved to tears at the realization that, no, they hadn’t lost their childhood friend—not permanently at least—he had just taken a little detour somewhere on Be a Lonely and Sad Jackass Avenue.

 _Now that’s just mean,_ Makoto thought to himself….. _But still pretty much true,_ he added as an afterthought and with a chuckle.

Still, it had all been good from then on. They managed to get most of what went on in Australia out of Rin in an awkward (for Rin at least, because it seemed as much as the young Rin never had any trouble expressing emotions the current Rin did and this realization saddened Makoto just a little) house sitting at Haru’s with the rest of the Iwatobi team.

The  _full_   Iwatobi team, counting Nagisa and Rei, because as much as Nagisa could be a little shit sometimes he still deserved an explanation as to why one of his friends had not spoken to him in years. And Rei, well Rin owed him one, a _big_ one. It was only because of Rei that he had even been able to swim with his friends again, that he had once again found out why it had been _so damn important_ to swim with friends again.

And so it had been with slight stammering, a miniscule _, barely there,_ blush, and a look that practically bled “ _Don’t judge me!”_  hidden under a pretty thick veneer (wall) of the type of casual indifference usually reserved for stories along the lines of ” _How was your day honey?”_ (which really, was ruined by the stammering) that the Australian dream crushing story of Matsuoka Rin had been revealed.

Yet for Makoto, who was basically the guru of reading people, Rin’s discomfort had been a like the burn of a cell phone screen as you look at in a dark room after you’d forgotten that your eyes had already adjusted to the night.

But things had moved on from then, rather well he might add. Actually very, very well now that he thought about it, because as much as Rin had still been a little hesitant at first, still a little unsure as to where he stood in the friendship that was the new Iwatobi Swim Team, with a little of Nagisa’s fuck all attitude and his ability to somehow forget years of separation and quite literally jump onto Rin’s back the first time he had stopped by one of their swim practices—as if they had been doing this all those years Rin had been away. With Makoto’s gentle smiles that practically radiated forgiveness and acceptance. With Rei’s flustered and timid questioning as to whether his senpai could spare some time and give him some pointers on his butterfly. And _especially_ with Haru’s silent approaches in which all he would do was utter and quiet “Rin” and then gave a glance at the pool as the only indication that he wanted a race and then another of those slight smiles in response to Rin’s shark toothed grin when Rin would realize what it was that Haru wanted.

Rin had fit right back into their lives.

And really if things would have gone exactly like that, it would have been absolutely perfect.

But they hadn’t, and it seemed Makoto was really the only person who knew why—if you didn’t count Nagisa that is, who somehow despite his innocent not a care in the word vibe, picked up on literally _everything._ But again, being the little shit that he was, was much too comfortable just sitting back and watching his friends squirm sometimes.

But really, Makoto thought, he should be grateful, because if Nagisa had actually gotten it into his mind to _help_ his friends, then….oh _god,_ Makoto shivered, that could have ended up spelling something just barely short of the apocalypse.

So this job naturally fell to Makoto.

And if telling his best friend and his long-time-separated-friend (who really was well on his way to becoming his best friend too, despite the years of separation) why it was that all of a sudden their relationship had gone from easy rebuilding back to awkward half stares and tension filled atmospheres whenever they stepped within  5 feet of each other made something inside of him ache a little distressingly, a not quite there pain in the pit of his stomach, Makoto was all too okay with pushing those inconsequential feelings aside for now. (And by “pushing aside” he meant violently strangling them whenever they poked their way into his headspace and then tying them down with many mental bricks and rocks and sinking them as far as they could possibly sink into his mental pool labeled _Troublesome Feelings to be Dealt with ~~Never Later~~ Never)._

NOW, he needed to focus on finding a way to gently explain to Rin what the laser beam stare Haru had aimed at the back of his head meant.

It was a stare that had the poor redhead visibly squirming as he sat at the edge of the Iwatobi pool, legs in the water trying to ignore Haru as his gaze practically burned a hole through his scalp, all while trying to calmly keep coaching Rei as he swam butterfly in same lane.  But it seemed like he could only take so much (and really Mako sympathized, any longer and Rin’s hair would have started smoking) as he finally gave up and snapping his head around half growled half shouted a rough “What!?!” in Haru’s direction.

Makoto gave a mental sigh at this (albeit a _fond_ mental sigh) because he ALSO needed to find a way to explain to Haru—who now quirked a brow in annoyance, gave a slight huff, turned his head and walked away instead of giving an answer— that Rin, unlike Makoto, couldn’t really interpret the multitude of information that Haru’s stare had conveyed. That if Haru wanted to tell Rin something, he was _literally going to have to tell Rin something._

Rin wasn’t Makoto, he couldn’t just interpret Haru’s mood and context at a glance of those sharp blue eyes, much less determine that that slight quirking of a brow had practically screamed “ _What the hell do you mean what! I’m speaking as clearly as I fucking can here!”_

(And if somewhere deep inside Makoto felt a slight selfish joy at that, that he was the _only_ one who could read Haru like that, well…then that thought was also physically assaulted and dragged into the murky depths of his _Troublesome Feelings_ pool)

But pushing those thoughts aside Makoto smiled, one of his signature smiles—the kind where his eyes almost crinkled shut and the absolute _warmth_ he radiated could melt Antarctica.

He watched Haru pad irritably into their changing room as he smiled. Watched Rin’s sharp incline of red eyebrows as he angrily muttered a “Tch!” only to turn his attention back to Rei and automatically bark something about his form being off, the unexpectedly sharp tone causing Rei to flinch and partway freeze, which of course caused him to accidently inhale some pool water and proceed to start choking. Kept watching as Rin shouted a “Shit!” with wide eyes and a comical look on his face as he slipped into the pool and hurried over to Rei to keep him from drowning.

_…I’ve got to do something about these two idiots…_

And when he sees Rin throw a most pained and confused glance at their changing room as he thumps a red faced Rei on the back, and as he sees Haru standing just off the side of said changing room entryway—safe from Rin’s prying eyes but not his own—with hands curled into fist and laser eyes now boring a hole through the floor, he adds,

… _and soon._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> This is by no means the first fanfic I’ve written but it is the first I've ever published. It's actually the first one I've let anybody read really (my roommate being the first person to and it's pretty much only because she liked it that I brought myself to post it). So with that in mind, please feel free to drop a comment and tell me how I'm doing!
> 
> Now, some information about how this fic will hopefully pan out:  
> I have this planned as a two part series. The first part being Rinharu with (seemingly) one sided Makoharu and Makorin, the second part would be Marinka. I figure that this way if Marinka isn't really your thing you could still read the first part and just stop at the second. 
> 
> That being said I plan on updating once a week and I will try my hardest to keep to that schedule as I know the torture of waiting for updates all too well. 
> 
> Like I said, feedback is extremely welcome!


	2. Of Smug Blonds and Visiting Friends

Now it was all good and well to say that he was going to do something about his two red and blue haired swimmers but it was another matter entirely to _actually_ do something—as Makoto had come learn about a week later as he stood, once again, besides the pool at an Iwatobi swim club practice plus Rin. 

Even with the knowledge that something needed to happen, Makoto’s grand plan of “Get my two idiot friends to get over themselves and admit that their madly in _l-o-ve_ with each other” –

The fact that even mentally, he had tripped over the word love made itself a nice home in Makoto’s lake of murdered sentiments.

But back to what he had originally been thinking.

His grand plan had seemed grand in theory but it turned out that the momentum to actually put it into effect was a little lacking.

It had been a week already, a week filled with so much tension between Haru and Rin that even Rei had managed to figure that there was something once again very, _very_ , wrong with the two. In fact Makoto was pretty sure that the only reason Rin kept coming by to their practices 3 days a week was that he had promised Rei he would help him improve his time at the beginning of the school year, and if he knew anything about Rin it was that he did his damn best to keep his promises.

 _Going to the Olympics had been a promise to his father after all, and look at all he had gone through to keep that one,_ he thought, barely keeping a grimace in check.

An image of the angry stranger who called himself Rin and whom they’d been reunited with at their old swim club after all those years suddenly flashed in Makoto’s mind and this time he did grimace.

Rin had looked so _angry,_ angry at everything, and that had hurt then and it still definitely hurt now, and if Mako really let himself think about it, it probably hurt a little more than he would have expected—

But he shook his head and rid himself of those thoughts. Rin wasn’t that person anymore, and if Mako had anything to say about it he would _never_ be that person anymore. Rin had worked too hard for his dream and Mako would be dammed if he ever let him fall into the same spiral of depression and anger and self-loathing that he had been in when they reunited. He cared too much for him now—

A sound in no way related to the pool he currently stood next to shattered his thoughts, and as unexpected as the interruption was to Makoto’s more and more frequent inner musings, it only took him seconds to figure out _who_ it was.

It seemed like Rei wasn’t the only other person besides Makoto to notice that both his friends were very off as of late, if the way Rin’s phone was currently going off with some English rock band as a ringtone for the second time that practice was any indication.

Because if his suspicion was true then the person on the other end of the line, Makoto thought, as he observed Rin hastily jump out of the lane adjacent to the one Rei was in, grab his phone from the Samezuka jacket he had left lying by the fence, hurriedly silence it, put the phone up to his ear and practically hiss out an exasperated “What _now_ Sousuke?—

 —was definitely Sousuke.

He kept watching as Rin paused and listened for whatever had been so urgent that it required a second phone call from the black haired butterfly swimmer.  Eventually Rin let out an exceptionally long sigh and responded,

“Yes, I do remember that we have an English test tomorrow Sousuke, but for some odd reason, oh I don’t know, maybe the fact that _I lived in Australia_ for a few years, _I’m not that worried about it_. You really couldn’t have—“ but he was silenced again as Sousuke said something else.

 Makoto took this lull on Rin’s part as an opportunity to sneak a peek at Haru who was—no surprise there—in the pool as Rin received his phone call. However, the only part of Haru that was visible at the moment were his eyes as he kept the rest of his body submerged under water. Those eyes seemed like they were doing their best to bore a hole through Rin’s scalp, _again,_ although this time for probably very different reasons.

But if Rin noticed, he didn’t let on as he responded with a tired sounding and somewhat apologetic, “Okay, okay, look man I’m sorry, I’ll be back in time to help you run through the vocab that’ll be on the test, just study the grammar cheat sheet the teacher passed out until I get back, kay? I’ll see you in a couple hours.”

Makoto’s head whipped back around to Haru as Rin walked back to Rei, and predictably Haru only let out a small snort, bubbles rising out to the surface of the water, before he dove back under again.

But Mako felt himself siding with Haru on this one as he let out a barely noticeable snort himself.

Sousuke was a bright student, in fact from details garnered with conversations with Rin, Sousuke was a very _, very,_ bright student, bright enough that he had even tutored Rin from time to time in literature, and Rin kept near perfect scores in every subject. Mako really, really, very much doubted that Sousuke needed help in anything, and that phone call had just been a poorly disguised excuse to get Rin back at Samezuka all the faster. 

And while the thought the annoyed Makoto just a little,he also understood where he was coming from, because if Rin was acting anything like Haru whenever practices were over and the only words the two red and blue haired friends turned enemies-turned rivals-turned friends- had uttered to each other were “hello” on Rin’s part or a “hm” from Haru, then Sousuke was only acting as Makoto would have acted with Haru if he didn’t already know what exactly was wrong with him.

But from the way that Sousuke was trying to get Rin _away_ from Iwatobi Swim Club practices Makoto had to presume that he had at least correctly guessed it had something to do with the Iwatobi Swim Team, and Mako had no doubt that he had also correctly assessed that by extension, it had something to do with Haru. 

But as much as he understood Sousuke’s worry, it still irritated just a tiny bit, because really, if Sousuke was trying to fix whatever he supposed was wrong with Rin, getting him _away_ from Haru was probably the worst idea possible. 

Rin was _not_ the type of person that should be left alone to stew with his thoughts, had he not seen what happened with the whole Australia thing? No, what Rin needed was for something, _anything_ to happen……which brought Makoto back to his current dilemma, because he still had yet to decide what exactly that something was supposed to be.

He brought his attention back to Haru as he did lazy laps a few lanes away from where Rin was trying to delicately explain to Rei that although the extra little maneuver he did on the turn was indeed very beautiful it was also adding seconds onto his time and was really something he could do without, all while trying to surreptitiously sneak glances at Haru without Rei noticing his wandering attention. Which was failing miserably of course because all it took was a look in the direction Rin was (forlornly) glancing at for Rei to have even more proof that something was oh so wrong with his two friends.

And Rei, bless him, seemed like he took it upon himself at that very moment to do something about it because taking a deep breath and standing up straight he proclaimed loudly, “ I appreciate the advice Rin-senpai, I too had also concluded as much and consequently studied this dilemma from many angles. My studies revealed that even though this indeed does add a few seconds onto my time, there is no other way in which I can keep my swimming beautiful throughout the entire race than to add that maneuver; thus while your advice is well meant I’m afraid I will have to decline its use and just make up the seconds lost during the second half of the race.”

Rin’s head snapped back around, red brows already furrowing slightly and fixed Rei with a stare and a “Wait, what?”.

“As I said Rin-senpai….”

And Mako couldn’t help but look a little fond at that because if Rei’s objective had been to distract Rin—if only for a little while from his no doubt stormy thoughts—then it seemed as if he had succeeded, and maybe a little too well, since Makoto could already hear the beginnings of a lecture creep into Rin’s slightly frustrated voice.

He smiled inwardly to himself…. _you have people that care so much about you Rin_ ….. and for some odd reason Rin seemed to be missing that from the one person he needed to see it from most. The way he had been looking at a swimming Haru had been filled with such longing, and probably a longing of many things because if Makoto remembered correctly Rin and Haru hadn’t swam togeth—

“Hey Mako-chan!”

Makoto started a bit as Nagisa enthusiastically bounded up to his side from who even knew where he’d been previously.

“ Rinrin and Haru-chan haven’t raced together in a really long time have they?” he asked with a small pout as he crossed his arms behind his back and rocked forwards on his feet, “That’s too bad, it’s always so exciting to see them race, you never know who’s going to win! And they’re always so fired up afterwards, even Haru-chan gets excited!” at this he turned around to Makoto and offered him a close-eyed smile “It’d be nice to see them race again, wouldn’t it Mako-chan???”

And really, Makoto could have slapped himself for his oversight, if it wouldn’t have been totally out of character at the moment. Because Nagisa was so, so right (and the little shit probably knew it too if his innocent (smug) little smile he aimed at Makoto was anything to go by), what else _but_ swimming could make those two alright again.

Swimming with Rin had been the only thing that could ever get Haru to _really_ care about times, about winning, and swimming with Haru seemed to be one of the only things that ever pushed Rin to the max. As long as he’d known both of them, swimming with each other seemed to be the only thing that had ever made them look, so….so…. _alive_ (as cheesy as it sounded). Alive and happy, no _ecstatic,_ to have something to strive for, to have _someone_ push them that little extra bit. They practically looked high on adrenaline every time they finished a race together, and it was something that only they shared. As long as Makoto had known Haru he knew he had never once been able to give him that, not the way Rin did, and from the beginning it had only every been Haru who had made Rin light up that way, and _FUCK—_

Makoto couldn’t help but flinch as he committed _another_ murder and hurled the massacred pulp of emotions into his bottomless mental pool _._ Which really didn’t seem to be as bottomless as previously thought because _Damn I need a bigger pool,_ floated in Makoto's head as he felt the metaphorical overflow soak into the shores of his conscious.  

But troublesome feelings aside and already on his way to Rin’s side of the pool where he would _casually_ drop the hint that Haru had actually improved his time as of late, and oh! Would you look at that, Rin might have some even tougher competition come competition time…. Makoto couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of this sooner, it worked once, it would work again, and Makoto wondered if maybe concerning those two and _especially_ Haru, if swimming didn’t turn out to be a sort of cure all…

But just as he had gotten to Rin’s lane, where a sheepish looking Rei was nodding his head and agreeing that Rin was actually right about the whole time vs beauty thing, and just about when he had opened his mouth and started saying Rin’s name, a cheerful voice by the pool entrance violently drove a dagger into the back of his get-my-friends-together-via-swimming plan.

“Hey guys! Long time no see!”

Because that voice belong to a certain pink haired teenager.

A teenager by the name of Kisumi Shigino.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> So I feel like I should maybe clarify where in the Free! timeline this takes place now that I've added in both Sousuke and Kisumi, but I'm honestly not exactly one hundred percent sure were this would fall. All I am certain of is that this takes place before the OVA where Rin sees Kisumi, as for this fics purposes Rin hasn't seen Kisumi in years. Although both Makoto and Haru have seen him previously, what with the whole little brother thing. Also, even though Sousuke is here no one knows about his shoulder yet, and it probably won't be mentioned at all in this fic because Sousuke is precious and if no one talks about his shoulder problems then they just don't exist, yeah....
> 
> *Excuse me as I make a mess of Free's timeline*
> 
> Anyway, feedback is very welcome and thanks for reading!


	3. Of Overenthusiastic Sharks and Other Jealous Marine Life

Makoto had been right about Kisumi ruining things, but it seemed he had actually underestimated the destructive force which Kisumi brought with him. He didn’t just kill Makoto’s poor plan, he butchered and gutted the helpless thing until there was only (figurative) bloodstains where it had once stood. By the end of the bloody massacre Mako would come to realize that his plan would be completely useless for the time being, and that more drastic measures would probably have to be taken.

But for now Makoto could only watch as Kisumi began walking towards the pool, eyes wandering to each of the his fellow swim team members, including his own, only to practically zero in on Rin once he spotted him and immediately make an (oh so obvious) beeline in his direction.

Makoto had to fight not to roll his eyes at that.

“Kisumi?!?” Rin’s voice rang out, incredulous as he began hurriedly walking to the edge of the pool and towards bobbing pink hair.

“Holy crap, Kisumi!!!” he halfway shouted again as he finally climbed out of the pool. He walked straight towards the pink haired teen, curling up a hand for Kisumi to take, pulling him into some type of awkward half chest bump/hug due to the fact that he was still soaked from the pool.

“Hey Rin!” Kisumi responded, laughing a bit at what seemed like Rin’s over-enthusiastic (at least it seemed a bit much to Makoto) acknowledgment.

“Holy shit man, it’s been years! How’ve you been, where’ve you been? Damn, I haven’t seen you since before I left for Australia!” Rin kept on. He swept a hand through his hair, keeping the still dripping tendrils from his eyes, a ridiculous smile on his face and a timbre of voice that was laced with an excitement that Makoto hadn’t heard present in Rin for a few weeks.

 _Due to current hardships that were about to be fixed….._ Makoto thought with exasperation, as he also approached the (interrupting) teenager.

“Hello Kisumi, what brings you around here, again?” Makoto inquired, a neutral smile on his face as he stood off to the side of both him and Rin.

Kisumi responded to Makoto’s question but with eyes that didn’t waver from Rin’s own, not even sparing a hello or a glance in Mako’s direction.

“I heard from the grapevine that you were back from Australia. Found out that you go to Samezuka but that you show up here for practice with old friends a few times a week. Since I’m closer to Iwatobi than Samezuka I figured I’d drop by and say, hey, catch up. _Man,_ it’s been way too long!” Kisumi’s smile widened as his eyes raked down Rin’s still dripping body, “And when the hell did you get so built! What the hell did they feed you in Australia, food that you had to hunt yourself and still fought back while you ate it?”

Makoto barely had time to be startled by Kisumi’s blatant teasing (flirting) before Rin’s laughter rang out across the pool, pure and genuine, and _happy._

Makoto found himself fighting down a flinch at the sound; it was one that he hadn’t heard in quite some time.

Kisumi’s eyes twinkled with mischief as he continued, “I’m serious! I’ve heard the whole ‘Everything in Australia will kill you’ and the fact that you came back looking like freaking Terminator only proves it!”

That only made Rin laugh even more, having him doubling over, tears in his eyes. When he was finally able to regain his composure he did so by straightening up and laying a hand on Kisumi’s shoulder, using his other to scrub at still damp eyes.

“Damn Kisumi, it’s _good_ to see you again.” Sincerity and happiness all but dripping from his voice and shining eyes.

Kisumi shot Rin a blinding smile at that, eyes dancing with something that was starting to worry Makoto just a bit, and it was only after lilac orbs darted down Rin’s form once more that he finally acknowledged Mako’s presence.

“Hey, sorry for kinda just swooping in and all, but you mind if I steal Rin for a bit? Like he said we haven’t seen each other in years,” he turned, smiling towards Rin once more, “we have a lot to catch up on.”

Makoto started, eyes darting towards Rin who was facing him now, gaze locked on his expectantly.

“Oh, umm sure, yeah of course.” Makoto replied.

He watched as Rin told Rei that their practice was going to be cut a bit short, explaining how Kisumi was a friend he hadn’t seen even longer than before he had left for Australia. Rei was of course fine with everything, and Rin promplty lead Kisumi over to the fence, leaning on it as they continued talking.

Green eyes flickered over to Haru. Predictably, his blue gaze was in Rin’s direction, only this time locked onto the pink haired teen, who even to Makoto seemed to be a little too close next to their redhead. Suspicion and annoyance was heavy in Haru’s gaze, eyeing the two boys as they talked, eyes narrowing a fraction as Rin let out another boisterous laugh.

Blue eye’s flashed briefly over to green, laden with what Makoto barely had time to recognize as a bit of reproach before Haru dove back under again.

Makoto felt his lips thin and he let out a barely audible huff, because really what was he supposed to have done, told Kisumi to leave? That’s what Haru would have done no doubt. But Rin wasn’t even on their team; he only came over on his own time, and only to help Rei. And despite Kisumi’s obvious interest, Mako couldn’t really bring himself to _really_ chide Rin for his enthusiasm upon seeing the pink haired boy again. He seemed more at ease with him than he had in the past two weeks in general, and Makoto couldn’t blame him.

He and Kisumi had always gotten along very well, had parted on good terms, and as far as Makoto knew, Kisumi had never been part of Rin’s small detour into _Jackass_ living. He probably didn’t know any of what went on in Australia or the drama that started once Rin came back to Iwatobi. Those two reasons alone probably had a lot to do with the ease Rin was talking to Kisumi with; he was basically a blank slate that probably only remembered the way Rin was as a child. No traumatic and hurtful incidents lurked in their history, no troublesome feelings muddled their relationship now ( _well at least on Rin’s part,_ Makoto thought wryly), and honestly Makoto was a little glad to see Rin _not_ on edge for once. Glad to see the warm and easy smiles Rin had begun to share with them all grace his features again.

Yet even though he was at least partway happy for Rin, that didn’t have to mean he was happy with the way Kisumi had managed to sidle even closer to his sharp toothed friend.

Green eyes narrowed at the point where their shoulders were a very small length away from touching, narrowed again when Kisumi leaned his head in even closer to Rin, saying a few words that had Rin snickering into his hands, in turn leaning in towards Kisumi even more.  

 _Honestly Rin, I get that you’re happy to see him but do you really have to be doing this right where Haru can see you?_ Makoto thought, somewhere between apologetic and exasperated.

He swiveled his head over to Haru, expecting his piercing blue gaze to validate his mental statement.

_This wouldn’t be a problem if Haru wasn’t watching but he is so—oh._

Haru was in fact _not_ watching for once. He was swimming down a lane in the opposite direction of where the two were standing. Mako glanced back to see Rin peeled away from the fence, his back to Kisumi, gesturing in the direction of the changing room.

Green eyes flickered in Kisumi’s direction only to see a lilac gaze firmly glued to a certain spot just below Rin’s waist.

Makoto felt a churning in his stomach.

It was still a problem.  

It was only when he was startled by Nagisa’s voice at his side _again_ that he realized he had be staring (glaring) at Kisumi for at least long enough for Nagisa to walk all the way from the other end of the the pool to where he was currently standing.

“Earth to Mako-chan!”

“Huh,” was his coherent reply.

“You’ve been staring of into space for a while now Mako-chan, and you have a weird look on your face.”

Makoto was just about to refute this when Rei also materialized out of nowhere on his other side

“Nagisa-kun is right Makoto-senpai. Did you perhaps recall something unpleasant?”

“What, guys no, that’s not it at all, I didn’t—”

“Don’t lie Mako-chan! You’re never angry, but that look you had on was _almost_ like the one you gave those third years who were giving Haru-chan a bad time because of his name last year.”

Makoto felt himself flush at that, because he most certainly DID NOT have that look on his face while he was looking (glaring) at Kisumi. And besides, even if he _had_ had that certain look it was only because Kisumi was making an already messy situation even messier than it needed to be; only because Makoto was certain _Haru_ was probably fuming quietly with a bit of jealousy right now….

“Makoto-senpai, you seem a bit rattled, are you sure there isn’t something bothering you?”

….It certainly didn’t have anything to do with a certain mental pool that for some reason seemed to be roiling with certain massacred emotions that really wanted to come hurling out of the water at the exact moment Mako had glanced at Kisumi’s ogling ….

 “Guy’s really, I’m fine. I guess I must have just spaced out and not realized I was making a face. I mean, I was thinking a little about that test in math we have coming up but that was it.”

As expected, Rei took off on the mention of the exam, going on a small rant about how he himself was preparing for the test, how he had thoroughly researched study methods and found the ones proven to help with math specifically. How he would be more than happy to help Makoto out with his studying if that’s what he was worried about.

Makoto was about to take Rei up on the offer, (because a little extra studying wouldn’t hurt, especially when he had been a little too preoccupied as of late to study all that effectively) when Rin’s voice cut him off prematurely.

“Come on Kisumi the water won’t bite, I promise!”

Mako had to turn his head towards the changing rooms to lay eyes on Rin. It seemed that while he had been in conversation with Nagisa and Rei, Rin’s own conversation with Kisumi had moved in the direction of the changing rooms for some reason.

And speaking of Kisumi, were was he?

Makoto’s brain finally managed to really take in Rin’s exclamation when he noticed him making a “come here” gesture towards the changing room doorway.

_The water won’t bite? What does he mean…_

Makoto figured that out very quickly once he saw a smiling Kisumi walk out of the changing room.

Wearing nothing but a pair of black and red long legged jammers.

 _Oh dear lord….._ Makoto thought with panic, _Those are Rin’s._

He turned in Haru’s direction so quickly he felt his neck creak, happened to look at him just as he was getting out of the water in the lane almost directly behind him, straightening up and shaking the excess water out of this hair. He took his time opening up his eyes, glancing at the three teens in front of him before his attention was called by yet another of Rin’s exclamations.  Mako watched in almost slow motion as Haru’s head turned towards a beckoning Rin that was already in the pool again and he knew the exact moment he laid eyes upon Kisumi.

His eyes went as wide as Makoto had ever seen them go, and he watched as so many emotions flit through them that he had a hard time keeping up but that all quickly settled on a single one. One that turned his eyes into hard blue ice but that made them burn with a red hot intensity all the same.

Makoto flinched as he heard Kisumi dive in after Rin, causing pale hands to clench. 

Haru was fucking _livid._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am soooo so sorry for such a long wait for this chapter! Especially when I said I would try my hardest to keep this once a week, but I have a valid excuse! (I think!) School started back up for me a few weeks ago so now it's back to trying to balance 8 different classes along with ensemble and individual practice time, reed-making time, and a part time job. The sad part is this is the least amount of classes I've ever had in my college career....oh that music major life. 
> 
> So while I can't promise updates at a regular time anymore I can at least promise that I will most definitely not drop this fic. It might take a while but this will be finished at some point.
> 
> So sorry again about the wait but thanks for reading!


	4. Of Volatile Emotions and the Explosive Homicide of Patience

He watched as Haru did nothing but stand and stare for all of 20 seconds before his jaw clenched so tightly that Makoto could have sworn he heard his teeth grind together and jolting out of his frozen stance began heading towards the two laughing boys.

He’d barely begun moving by the time Makoto had already figured out what he was probably intending to do, and he couldn’t let him do that, couldn’t let him say something he’d come to regret later and so reaching out a hand he managed to grab Haru’s wrist as it swung by.

“Haru-”

Was all he was able to get out before the swimmer yanked his arm free of Makoto’s with a vicious jerk, not even sparing a glance in his direction. In fact Makoto was pretty sure he hadn’t even noticed it was Makoto grabbing him.

And that hurt a bit.

Okay that hurt _a lot_ actually.

Because in all the time that he’d known Haru—in all the time he’d learned to _really_ know Haru, to differentiate subtle language of his eyes and body that no one up until then, not even Rin, had managed to do, he’d always thought, always hoped, that Haru had learned to read him a bit too. That in the same way that all it took for Makoto to garner that there was something wrong with Haru—the slightest of changes in his voice, even when all the blue haired boy would utter was a “hmm”— that Haru could at least manage to pick up on the obvious when it came to Makoto. That when his voice rang across the pool dripping heavy with worry, a bit of panic, and some not quite there emotions simmering underneath it all (emotions that were starting to be a bit frightening actually) and all Haru did was nothing but jerk away as if Makoto and all the understanding he’d always offered him were nothing more than a distraction, a fly to be swatted away when all the focus of his world was zeroed in on Rin….

Makoto felt something crack inside him.

He let himself be engulfed by his emotions only for a moment before he pushed them savagely away, in the general vicinity of where all his other ignored emotions had been ~~drowning~~ ending uplately.  

This was not the time to be wallowing in self-pity, not when his best friend was about to spew venom from his mouth that would probably sink he and Rin down to the rock bottom that had almost ruined their friendship in the first place.

He unglued his eyes from where they had been staring at the hand Haru had flung violently flung away, bringing his gaze up and realizing too late that he had stood their petrified for longer than he had thought. By the time his gaze landed on the slim form of his friend he was already only a few feet from where Kisumi and Rin were swimming.

And Makoto was almost running to him them, mouth open and about to say something, anything before the blue haired boy opened his mouth and uttered something that would break all their hearts again—

Rin beat them to it.

He had turned around as soon as Haru’s shadow fell over him and with a brilliant smile and the awkwardness of the past few weeks seeming to somehow have been erased from his memory extended a hand up and with a painfully cheerful voice said,

“Come swim with us!”

The silence of the next few seconds was a tangible thing, so thick in the air that Makoto felt it physically stop his body from making his way over.

It was in those few seconds, seconds where Haru’s face suddenly drained of the anger that had made him trek his way over and instead turned completely blank that Makoto hoped (desperately hoped) that maybe Haru would actually go along with it. That he would realize that Rin had finally managed to look past all the tension that had surrounded them lately, had broken whatever impasse they had been at and had finally taken the first step to being okay again.

But even Makoto didn’t have much hope for that, and when Haru’s face slipped back to the quiet fury that Makoto had seen radiate off of him when he had laid eyes on Rin and Kisumi in the water—

_Oh God, please don’t say something you can’t take back Haru._

“I won’t swim with you.”

_MOTHERFU—_

 Haru’s voice rang out lowly, as clear as the water he loved but raging with the fury of a stormy ocean as his gaze bored into Rin’s.

“ _Don’t_ you ask me to swim with you.”

He didn’t even give Rin the time for his words to sink in before he had already turned his back to him, heading for the showers.

Rin seemed frozen for a bit, hand still extended and innocent smile still on his face before his features morphed into a look of such confusion so quickly that it should have been comical really (and Makoto was _almost_ tempted to giggle, albeit a bit hysterically).

But Makoto shrugged off his (startling) hysteria and instead found himself once again quickening his pace to where Rin was standing. 

He hadn’t been able to stop the angst bomb that Haru had just dropped on Rin but at the very damn least he was going to do some damage control.

Because Rin needed to understand, needed to understand that Haru’s anger hadn’t just been spontaneous. That in the number of things Rin could have possibly done to incur the (pretty infrequent) wrath of Haru he’d probably managed to do the top two in the span of 5 minutes.

 _Because this is Rin, and Rin doesn’t do anything halfway._ Makoto thought dismally.

One of those things wasn’t really even the fact that Kisumi had barged into their afternoon practice and had had absolutely no shame in admitting his raging rampant thir— _liking_ of Rin.

 It was more along the lines of Rin had let Kisumi borrow his swimsuit.

And while that might seem very strange and petty to some people, this was Haru they were talking about.

Haru, who had 6 different pairs of the _same_ swimsuit and claimed that they all felt different. Haru, who Makoto wasn’t even sure had any regular underwear at this point considering how many times he had seen him strip down to only his jammers. Haru, who probably attached the same emotional worth to swimwear that most people did to things like security blankets.

For Haru (who even as a child had never let _anyone,_ not even Makoto borrow a swimsuit) to see Rin just let Kisumi borrow his—well, in his view that act probably carried more intimate implications than anybody else would even think of.

And Kisumi had just oh so casually waltzed out of their changing room and dove in right after Rin, red and black cloth painting his legs.

Which brought him to Rin’s next transgression.

The fact that he was _swimming_ with Kisumi, swimming _specifically_ with him after he and Haru hadn’t even stood in adjacent lanes for _weeks_. And to then ask Haru to swim with them, with _Kisumi_ after Haru was already fuming—

Needless to say Makoto hadn’t seen Haru this angry since some old lady had grabbed the last slab of fresh mackerel from right under his hand at a grocery store a couple years ago.

As odd and irrational as those reasons would seem to be the cause for such wrath on Haru’s part, Makoto understood, and right now, he needed to make sure that Rin understood as well.

And so finally reaching the lane where Rin continued standing, only now with his head bowed and shoulders gone tense, Makoto had barely begun mouthing Rin’s name before Kisumi saw fit to interrupt, _again._

“Duude, what’s his problem?”

Makoto honest to god felt his eye twitch as he leveled a glare at Kisumi, not caring if it was probably completely obvious or that he could almost _feel the_ electricity shooting from his green gaze to the pink haired teen.  

But Kisumi wasn’t the important issue he had walked over to address and so turning back to Rin he barely managed to spot a tell-tale glimmer in downcast red eyes before Rin savagely rubbed an arm across them and muttered out in rough voice, “Fuck this” before he began to make his way towards the edge of the pool where Makoto stood.

Makoto barely let him stand all the way up before he stepped in front of him, voice going gentle as he spoke, a hand already reaching towards him.

“Rin wait.”

But all Rin did was lurch out of Makoto’s reach, tan fingers barely managing to graze Rin’s arm before Rin all but barreled past him, shouldering through him with enough force to have the taller teen stumbling sideways.

And as much as that _also_ felt a bit like knives to Makoto he would have kept after Rin if suddenly his vision hadn’t been full of pink.

Kisumi had also made his way out the pool and it seemed was very much intent on following Rin as well.

“Hey Rin, wait up!”

Suddenly, Makoto felt his patience—that everyone seemed to think stretched on indefinitely for some reason—come to a sudden violent and explosive end.

Blocking Kisum’s path he felt one of the smiles that came so naturally to him pull his lips up, even as his eyes turn cold enough to rival Haru’s.

“I think it’s time for you to leave, Kisumi."

And he knew Kisumi was about to protest, could tell by the way pink eyebrows inclined into Vs and his mouth opened to speak and Makoto couldn’t have stopped himself from cutting him off if he’d tried because his internal pool of emotions that _really_ had _nothing_ to do with why he was abruptly and very alarmingly angry was suddenly _boiling_.

“Listen, _you—”_

“Kisumi-chan!” a cheery voice cut through before the owner of said voice suddenly had an arm hooked around Kisumi’s shoulders.

“ _-chan?”_ Kisumi stuttered, bewildered by the blond hurricane suddenly halfway hanging off his neck.

Makoto didn’t even stick around long enough to hear Nagisa’s reply, instead turning around and heading towards their changing rooms where Rin had ran off too. Shakily, he mentally thanked Nagisa for having interrupted him, because he honestly wasn’t even sure what had been going to come out of his mouth at that point.

And that terrified him.

He’d been feeling a bit off as of late, as much as he didn’t want to admit it, and he had just felt something suddenly snap at the way Kisumi seemed like he was going to complain, had felt all the emotions he had oh so carefully murdered  suddenly fill his mind to bursting and—

The doorway to their changing room suddenly loomed before him complete with a still dripping Rin angrily trying to tug a shirt on.

The captain of the Iwatobi swim team took a deep breath, trying to calm his jumping nerves before he spoke.

“Rin, look Haru he—he, he didn’t mean—he was just—”

The red-head gave the shirt over his head one final yank before it finally came down, snapping his head up in Makoto’s direction as soon as it was free, red eyes burning as his mouth turned into a snarl.

“No, _fuck_ him Makoto! Fuck him and his stupid—”

He didn’t even finish his exclamation, instead choosing to lean down to try and put his shoes on merely succeeding in putting one on the wrong foot. He let out a growl of frustration, wrenching it off as Makoto tried to speak again, “Just—” only to have Rin interrupt him once more, head still bent as he kept at his shoes.

“Tell Rei that coachings are off for now, tell him we’ll figure something out but I am not coming back here again.”

“Wait what?? You can’t—”

“I’m not going to keep coming back to somewhere I’m obviously not wanted Makoto!” Rin shouted as he came upright, finally having managed to put his shoes on right. “I won’t set a foot in the same _vicinity_ as that asshole again!”

Makoto watched as he picked up his gym bag, beginning to make his way over to the door and suddenly he felt his own anger start to rise once more _._

A distant part of him was running around in panicked circles because this was the second time Makoto felt anger overtake him, but for now Rin called his foremost attention.

If he would just _listen._

“So you’re just never going to come by again? What about the rest of your friends, what about us—”

_What about me._

“I don’t care!!” Rin all but roared in his face. “You all were perfectly content without me when I was in Australia, this won’t be any fucking different.”

Makoto stood frozen as Rin shouldered his way past him again.

_He doesn’t care?_

_Of course he wouldn’t._ _If it isn’t Haru then Rin—_

The brunette was broken out of his reverie by Nagisa.

“Umm, Mako-chan—”

“Practice is ending early today Nagisa, tell Rei.”

He moved further into the changing room, starting to get his uniform out.

“I’ll leave the key here; lock up when you leave, please Nagisa?”

“Ookay, but umm what do we do with Kisumi, he’s just kind of standing outside and he still has Rin’s swimsuit on?”

Makoto turned, spotting Kisum’s uniform in one of the cubbies.

“Tell him to get changed and leave them here. Then, tell him to _leave._ ”

Nagisa gave him one last look which Makoto was way too out of it to even try to decipher before the blond just nodded and headed back for the pool.

Makoto changed quickly enough, heading towards the door just as Haru was coming in.

_If I could just…_

“H—”

“Don’t _.”_ Was all the answer he got as Haru ignored him.

Makoto continued out the door.

 _Right,_ he thought as he exited the pool, _because when it’s about Rin, nothing else seems to exist for Haru, and if it isn’t about Haru then Rin doesn’t care._

 For the second time that day Makoto felt something that he was pretty sure was his heart crack in two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the suuuper long wait _again_ but I have not forgotten about these three dorks! I finally had some time (and the motivation since school these past three weeks has been especially tiring) to just sit and finish writing this chapter over Thanksgiving break and before the general chaos that is finals week slaps me in the face. 
> 
> I find it kind of funny that when I started writing this it was super cloudy and grey outside (which I love!) and after I finished it I realized that it was a bit angstier than any of the chapter before. I'm a little worried that I might have made Makoto a bit too OOC but I think considering what he's going through his reactions aren't too much of a stretch?
> 
> Anyways thanks for reading and as all always feedback is more than welcome!


	5. Of Very Tired Whales and Possible Dolphin Popsicles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .....It's a Christmas Miracle....????
> 
> I AM SO SORRY THERE IS NO EXCUSE
> 
> *hides under rock*

Makoto walked home that day, alone, for the first time in a long time. He hadn’t realized how accustomed he’d grown to the tag along of his friends, of Haru, on the walk back home until he was left with nothing but the silence of his own thoughts crashing around in his head as he traced the familiar route home.

And _christ_ were they swirling.

Emotions that he vaguely knew, considering how hard he’d been trying to repress them, whirling and mixing with the new found ones of today in combinations that Makoto didn’t really want to look at too closely, especially not with the faint tinge of his own anger accompanying every single one.

And that anger had him _worried._

Because panic he could understand, at watching history repeat itself before his eyes, second hand hurt from both Haru and Rin too, as their words dug toxic into each other, but _anger?_ An anger that was not all because of the fact that Haru and Rin where well on their way to ruining whatever strange and adorably stuttering relationship they had going on simply because of their own stupidity.

But anger on _Makoto’s_ part.

Anger that neither Rin nor Haru and spared him a chance to speak or so much as an acknowledgement. Anger at Kisumi, _for looking at Rin that way,_ but not exactly on Haru’s behalf….

When he finally arrived home, it was his mother who answered the door, and it took all of 2 seconds before she was already opening her mouth to ask what was wrong, forehead creased in worry. Makoto cut her off before she’d even uttered a syllable.

“I’m not feeling too well.” He’d said as he’d hurriedly made his way inside. “I think I might be coming down with a cold.”

“Oh no,” his mother had responded, “I’ll make you some hot chamomile tea and bring dinner up to your room.”

“Uh, thank you Kaa-san, but I think I’m actually just going to lay down and go to sleep early, please tell the twins that I won’t be able to play with them this evening, but I’ll make it up to them tomorrow.”

“Oh, sure—”

He felt bad for cutting his mother off that way but he really didn’t feel like making small talk with anyone and so with a short nod Makoto bolted off to his room.

Once he got there he only managed to throw his bag to the floor and rip his tie off before he collapsed into bed.

He let out a frustrated sigh as his hands dug fists into his blankets.

He could fix this. He _would_ fix this _,_ talk some sense into Haru, whether he wanted to listen to him or not. Call Rin and explain _why,_ when the redhead was in a much calmer state.

But for now, he would sleep.

Sleep and ignore the aching heart he knew he’d have to keep on pretending he didn’t have.

_Tomorrow._

He would fix this _tomorrow_.

                ***

Tomorrow came and Makoto woke up feeling none the better for having temporarily forgotten his problems to the clutches of sleep. Truth be told, he felt a little worse.

Once his alarm clock had blearily pulled his mind to fully awake the memories of yesterday began flooding back in and he felt that same worrisome anger of yesterday start trickling back into his mind.

Haru and Rin were such _idiots._

If only they would have listened for _5 seconds_ to what Makoto had to say, but no they’d been too preoccupied wallowing in self-righteous anger, tunnel vision too focused on each other to even spare a glance in Makoto’s direction.

_I’m invisible to them—_

But Makoto cut his thoughts off before they could progress any further.

This wasn’t about him, it would never _be_ about him, it was about Haru and Rin.

_After all they made it very clear that I don’t calculate into any of this—_

And again Makoto forced himself to _stop._

He really, _really,_ didn’t need all these emotions that he’d been so sure he’d done away with coming back from the dead like some cheesy 1960’s swamp monster from the (not so) deep dark depths of his _Pool of Troublesome Feelings._

But….maybe he did need to face them.

Maybe if he did, maybe if he finally just let himself _feel_ , instead of clamping up his mind and heart whenever he felt the slightest inkling of whatever emotion he felt for—

For Haru.

For Rin. 

For both—

NO.

These feelings, whatever they were—they were wrong, and even if they weren’t —they didn’t—they didn’t have a place here.

Not when Rin and Haru’s eyes never strayed to anybody but each other.

Not when Makoto might as well have been a ghost for all they ever cared to notice he was trying to help them, for all they cared to notice that he was _there—_

_Jesus fu—_

_This_ was exactly why he never let himself really think about it.

With a groan Makoto rolled himself out of bed, finally silencing the alarm clock that was doing its best to hammer its way into his brain.

His body felt stiff, his eyes swollen from too much sleep and he had a general feeling of grossness from having slept in the same clothes as the day before. He was still so tired despite having slept so long and he knew already with nothing but a gut feeling in the pit of his stomach that today was going to be a _long_ day.

But with a sigh, and a shake of his head he tried to dispel all that, tried to think of kittens and puppies and all the things that usually made him happy, tried to slowly coax his features back into their usual warmth as he got up and began getting dressed for school.

He had work to do, relationships to fix and his own emotions could just be swept aside for now.

(After all Rin and Haru had done such an easy job of it yesterday)

He had two swim obsessed _idiots_ to still get together, and Haru was person number one he needed to talk some sense into. So, taking a deep breath and putting on the closest he could muster to one of his signature Makoto Smiles™ he exited his house to the crisp morning air outside and began making his way to Haru’s.

When he finally got to Haru’s, however, he realized he had a small problem.

Haru wasn’t actually home.

Makoto had let himself in after waiting the appropriate amount of time outside Haru’s door only to find the bathtub empty and the in the kitchen only the dirtied remains of the pans Haru had no doubt used to cook himself a mackerel lunch for school.

Or at least Makoto hoped it was for school because he also wouldn’t put it passed Haru to have gone to the ocean to “commune” with the water or whatever it is Haru did, never mind that the water was still _freezing_ with Haru more likely to get hypothermia than achieve any sort of enlightenment.

Makoto felt a twinge of annoyance at Haru’s absence—he’d had the beginnings of a small speech prepared and everything— but he did his best to ignore it and managed to push it aside with relative ease.

He sighed.

_Okay then, school, I’ll talk to Haru at school._

***

Makoto arrived at school a bit later than usual due to his detour at Haru’s house. By the time he’d walked into his classroom the bell that signified the start of the school day had already begun chiming and he’d had no choice but to stand at his desk and bow without having gotten the chance to so much as utter a good morning in Haru’s direction.

_Still though,_ _small miracles,_ Makoto supposed with a faint smile that was mostly genuine, _at least I didn’t have to fish him out of the ocean as a dolphin popsicle._

The rest of the class passed by uneventfully, with Haru seeming as stoic as usual—

If you were anybody else than Makoto that is.

But Makoto was indeed Makoto and he could tell just by the slight tension in Haru’s shoulders, by the way his eyes never strayed from the window to give even a modicum of attention to Amakata-sensei, but mostly by the way that he was keeping his face intentionally blanker than usual, that Haru was definitely not okay.

So Makoto resolved to do most of his talking during lunch, he was sure that both Rei and Nagisa ( _especially_ Nagisa, that perceptive little miscreant) would have no problem giving them both a little space to speak in private.

Except when they’d finally been dismissed for lunch and before Makoto had even finished his “Haru, can we—” Haru had already exited his seat, uttering out a monotonous “Bathroom” in Makoto’s general direction (never mind that he hadn’t actually bothered to look at him) before he’d all but swept out the door.

  _Okay,_ Makoto thought, taking a deep, _deeeep,_ breath, _this is fine. This is FINE. I’ll just wait for him on the roof._

(And if his inner Makoto voice sounded a little high pitched and just hovering around the edges of just _a bit_ hysterical, Makoto chose not to pay attention to that)

But lunch came and went and Haru never actually showed up to their customary spot on the roof. More worryingly, he also didn’t show up at the school pool as after about 20 minutes had passed and still no Haru had appeared Makoto had kept his eyes trained on it like a hawk. He’d been so certain he’d spot Haru diving in.

There was only a few minutes left for class to start again and Makoto stood, legitimately worried now, hands on the railing around the rooftop because _If Haru isn’t at the pool where the hell is he then_?

He’d just begun thinking thoughts of the ocean and a frozen Haru _again_ when the bell chimed for the end of lunch and it was at that exact moment that Haru chose to exit their changing room and dive into one of the pool lanes.

Makoto felt some of his previous worry clear his head at the same time that he also felt his eyes narrow.

_Haru are you kidding m—_

“Mako-chan,” Nagisa interrupted his thoughts and it was only at the sound of the blonde’s voice that Makoto realized how tight his white knuckled hold had been on the railing.

“We should probably head back now, besides we both know Haru will still be there once school ends.”

Makoto smiled a bit at that, let his hold on the railing relax.

“You’re probably right Nagisa.”

 “Come on, I’ll let Rei-chan know we’re not practicing today.”

That caught Makoto by surprise at and it must have shown because all Nagisa had done was wink at him and give him a smile that was a wee bit calmer than usual deceptively innocent ones he gave.

“Just talk some sense into our _tsundere_ dolphin and his angsty shark boyfriend okay?”

Makoto felt a genuine smile make its way onto his face at that one.

“Yeah Nagisa, I will.”

And that was how Makoto found himself—about 20 minutes after the end of the school day due to one of his teachers wanting to speak to him after class—making his way over to their pool, confident that Haru was probably still around.

He entered the pool area and not seeing Haru floating around on the surface headed closer to the clear water, expecting him to be swimming around in the pool’s depths instead.

But Haru wasn’t there either and Makoto had just begun turning around, eyes following the wet trail of footprints that led towards their changing room when—

“Yo Makoto, didn’t expect to see anyone around here still but I just came back to pick up my swimsuit, Kisumi texted and said he’d left it here.”

Makoto startled and turned around fully. As he came to face Rin, he felt two thoughts cross his mind at the redhead’s statement.

One.

Kisumi texted Rin?

That meant Kisumi had Rin’s number. Since when did _Kisumi_ have Rin’s number. _Why_ did Kisumi have Rin’s number.

Two.

Rin was _here_?

And, as Rin began making his way in the direction of their changing room.

_OH GOD HARU’S IN THERE._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did always, and still do, mean to finish this, it's just I kind of lost inspiration there for a bit (well longer than a bit). 
> 
> I know a year is waaaay too long to make the people who were actually following this story wait though, and again I really am sorry.


End file.
